Many power systems have applications that require multiple engines. For instance, electrical power systems may have multiple gas turbines, each with their own electrical generator load that contributes power to an electrical power grid. It is important to monitor and control the output of the engines so that the power that their respective generators contribute to the grid is such that their total cumulative power stays within a desired cumulative power level range at all times.
Control systems for controlling the power of the engines in the system generally rely on the function of a central controller for monitoring and controlling the operation of all the engines in the system. Because monitoring and control of each engine requires multiple transducers per engine, both the central controller and the communications link between the central controller and the engines may become complex and require high data rates.